Employment Handbooks, Policies & Procedures

An employee handbook is a written document outlining company policies, procedures and expectations. It typically includes everything from disciplinary procedures and leave entitlements to workplace conduct and grievance processes.

Employee handbooks play a vital role in communicating company policies and procedures, terms and conditions, and information on leave and benefits.  The handbook should be updated regularly, located in a central location and be made available to all employees.  In doing so, any updates or revisions can be seen by all staff.

• The company vision / mission / ethos

• Information on employment records you hold and associated data protection

• Company policies and procedures (this may reference separate documents for each policy and procedure), including:

  • Disciplinary procedures

  • Grievance and dispute procedures

  • Bullying and harassment procedures

  • Complaints procedures

  • Health and safety policies

  • Equality policy

  • Smoking policy

  • Overtime policy

  • Social media policy

Under current employment legislation, all employees must have received a copy of and signed that they have read the company disciplinary procedure and grievance processes (typically contained in an employee handbook), but the whole employee handbook is not a legal requirement.

Employee Handbooks should be written by HR professionals with enough knowledge of all areas of Employment law covered within the documents.  They should also update the handbook regularly as the business changes or as legal requirements evolve. 

It is also important that the document and its accompanying policies and procedures are tailored to your business operation, not merely a standard publication.